The topic of having a “leaky guy” has become popular – and rightly so. Studies are exploding with the connection between the microbiome in our digestive tract, and the rest of our body.
Hormones, skin, even your mood are all affection by the bacterial balance (or imbalance) of your microbiome. If you brain fog, depression, food intolerances, fatigue or ongoing digestive issues, chances are you have “leaky gut”.
What is leaky gut, and how can you heal from it?
What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?
According to Dr. Amy Myers, "Leaky gut is when the tight junctions that hold your intestinal wall together become loose. Your gut uses projections called villi to control materials passing through your gut and into your bloodstream. These villi look like little fingers covered with hairs called microvilli." (1)
The foods we eat, outdoor pollutants, medications, and stress can cause inflammation in our bodies. If left unchecked, the gut lining begins to weaken, and tiny holes begin to form.
These holes allow bits of food and other bodily chemicals to pass through into the rest of your body. Our body sends out an immune response, after it doesn't take long before our entire body ecosystem is out of whack.
What Are the Symptoms?
You may be dealing with a leaky gut if you have:
Brain Fog
Anxiety
Depression
Chronic diarrhea
Food sensitivity or intolerances
Autoimmune disease
Thyroid issues
Skin issues
Digestive issues such as IBS or IBD
It may take a few tests to get an accurate diagnosis, but don't give up. Your health and well-being is worth it.
Ways to Heal
Whether you have been suffering for a long time, or are ust now experiencing symptoms, you may be wondering if there's any hope.
The good news is that you can be healed. Is there a treatment for leaky gut? Yes, but it can take awhile. It takes time for our bodies to get to a diseased state, so give yourself the same amount of time (if not more) to completely heal.
Below are seven ways that help heal the gut:
Pre-biotics: Dandelion root, artichoke, asparagus, and bananas are all just a few examples of food that contain special dietary fibers called pre-biotics.
Probiotics: Gut healing foods such as saurkraut, kitchen, and other fermented foods contain live strains of probiotics in them. These are the good bacteria that help crowd out the bad bacteria.
Glutamine: This one totally blew my mind! This amino acid gets pulled from gut lining as it weakens. Adding it back into your diet helps to strengthen and tighten those junctions back up.
Good fatty acids: Not all fats are bad. Your cells depend on healthy fatty acids like omega-3 to function correctly. Foods like Salmon or walnuts are good sources.
Reduce sugars: Whether real or artificial, sugars feed the bad bacteria, which perpetuates leaky gut syndrome.
Ghee (Clarified grass-fed butter): According to Dr. Axe, "ghee is an excellent source of butyrate, the short-chain fatty acid that is crucial to maintaining optimal digestive health. Butyrate provides energy for the cells in the colon, helps support gut barrier function and fights off inflammation." (2)
Intermittent fasting (16 hours instead of 12 hours) – Giving your body a break from digesting food can help reset the flora balance in your gut.
It may also be worth considering to do an elimination diet. That means you stop eating all trigger foods for awhile. Once your gut is healed, you can slowly reintroduce foods back into your life.
Wrap Up
The leaky gut phenomenon is becoming more common. Foods, lifestyles, and things we can't control are all having an impact on our bodies.
Mood swings, digestive issues, skin flare-ups, and food sensitivities can all be signs that your gut is in trouble. Following a gut healing diet that includes fermented foods, reduced sugars, and amino acids can help start the healing process.
Do you have leaky gut? Maybe you know someone who does. Share this information with them so they can begin their healing journey today.